What is MADK?

MADK stands for "Motsu Akuma to Danshi Koukousei" - "Gutsy Demon and High School Boy", but you'll rarely find it referred to by that name. It's a three-volume series written and illustrated by Suzuri Ryo, also known as Sumiyoshi Ryo. MyAnimeList classifies its genres as Boys' Love, Horror, Supernatural and Erotica, and most places include content warnings of Gore and Sexual Violence. More on that in the trigger warnings tab.

Makoto Tachibana is socially isolated due to his unusually dark interests. Giving up on living as a normal human, he summons a demon to try and fulfill his desires in exchange for his life - and said demon turns out to be an Archduke, going by the name of "J". Their deal eventually comes to an end as Makoto grows satisfied... However, J takes a liking to him, and brings him over to the world of demons.

Thus, he must acclimate to this new life and learn the ways of the demon world, its inhabitants and its politics, if he wants to live... and eventually, even surpass J himself.

Trigger warnings

No one in MADK is a good person. Those who are end up getting the short end of the stick. This list is non-exhaustive; I only wrote what I remembered. Take it as a guide of fucked-up-ness.

• Gore
  • Decapitation
  • Mouth trauma
  • Severing of limbs
  • Graphic violence
• Sexual content
  • Rape/Non-con/Extremely questionable consent
  • (Coerced) Prostitution
  • Sadomasochism
  • Monsterfucking (I guess?)
• Body horror
• Abuse - parental, sexual and romantic
• Cannibalism

My thoughts

Just by checking my About page you'll find I'm asexual or at least somewhere on that spectrum. By talking to me you'll find out that I'm closer to a lesbian than a gay man. There should be no reason I'm reading a +18 BL, especially one like this, if you know me on the surface. However:

• I think every genre can have its virtues, and dubbing it as lesser because there's sex on it is frankly ignorant. It's a whole another layer that lets you explore characters, their personalities and relationships to one another; not to mention that both writing and drawing good sex scenes is notoriously hard. (Pun not intended.) For drawing, you need a great notion of anatomy and perspective. For writing, you need to have a lot of spatial awareness and vocabulary - it's very easy to turn a sexy scene just funny.
• I am, in fact, into eroguro. And I love seeing relationships that are radioactively toxic in fiction. You have no idea.

I found MADK by accident, seeing it in a Pinterest meme praising its narrative while freaking out about its darker elements, which drew me in very much because I have a chronic case of morbid curiosity.

... And it turned out to be a fascinating story! First off, the art is positively gorgeous. Suzuri has an incredible grasp in anatomy and inhuman character design! I think my favorite recurring design is Datenshou's - which you can see in the corner. Some extras also elaborate on minor characters.

Speaking of which, the entire world of MADK is really interesting to me! None of the sex and gore felt gratuitous to me, it all fit well with the characters, their goals, and the narrative (but then again, I do enjoy reading both of these). The ways the demon world works compliments the story and its characters nicely... It's somber, yes, but it's fun to see how the inhabitants find ways to endure and enjoy life in it. Ironically, they're very human, as Makoto himself would mention.

SPEAKING OF WHICH.

Makoto's a really interesting protagonist to me. I love stories with characters who are schemers, and his growth into that is super cool - if sad - to witness! He starts off as not too bad a person - mostly just a guy with weird interests, that could probably lead a happy human life in the right company - and in the end is anything but good. In the end, J's manipulation worked perfectly - he truly became a demon.

There's something cathartic in seeing everything go terribly wrong, seeing a character become worse and not heal. Makoto does not break the cycle! It will all happen all over again. I honestly can't envision a way it would end well. I wouldn't call it a love story. It's a tragic downward spiral in a very grotesque way.

So... I think that even if you're not into any of the things depicted, it's worth a read. Not necessarily a pleasant read - a lot of MAL reviews call it "disgusting", "twisted", and "grotesque", and the trigger list is a beast upon itself. But the story's a wonderful exploration of manipulation, devouring, and desires.

And I guess that if you're just reading hoping for the sexy parts, these are good too.